


Origins of Barba the Vampire

by clowchan



Series: Vampire Barba Chronicles [1]
Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: AU, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-19
Updated: 2015-12-21
Packaged: 2018-05-07 13:35:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5458328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clowchan/pseuds/clowchan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All about how Rafael Barba became a vampire. This takes place before he joins the SVU crew in Manhattan</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beginnings

Rafael Barba awoke to a note on his night stand. " _Enjoy the gift of vampirism. Asshole_."

" _What?_ " Rafael was thoroughly confused. " _What the hell does that mean?_ " One should not have to think about weird things as soon as they wake up.  Vampires aren't real. Nothing but fiction in books and movies and he wasn't talking like Bela Lugosi. How drunk was he last night?  Plus the note was written sloppily like they were drunk too. One bad night stand. It happens to everyone and Rafael was no exception.

He goes to brush his teeth and notices the obscenely large bruise on his neck. Shit. He has court today. What shirt with a collar was large enough to cover this? Perhaps he could ask his assistant Carmen for foundation if the need arrives. He texts her quickly before he goes off to shower. The spot on his neck was quite tender. He's had hickeys before, but never felt like this. " _Note to self: don't bang crazy people while drunk_." He kept thinking about the note. Then pieces of forgotten drunk memories come back to him as he washes himself. 

 

* * *

 

He was still working for the Kings County DA's office, a little before he moved to Manhattan. The case was one of the toughest he worked on, but he was determined to win it.  He had to prove that a woman was a leader of a sex trafficking ring that prostituted out young women and underage girls. The case was quite difficult as the defendant had one of the best lawyers he ever had to deal with, James Kinsley. He was just as thorough and cunning as Rafael and whatever tactic Rafael used he already had a backup plan.

Throughout the case, Rafael barely got any sleep. Only sustenance he had was coffee. He might as well have had a blood coffee level with the amount he drank. His gut instinct nagged him that this woman was guiltier than sin. A couple pieces of crucial evidence were thrown out because they were obtained illegally. He grumbles a few curse words in Spanish before questioning the IQ of his own team. The Defence were gloating. Then a miracle happens. One of the detectives finds a voice recording of the woman giving prices to a known john, in Russian, of all languages. He got her and he went in for the kill. Rafael looks over watching that shit-eating grin of Kinsley's fade away with every word he spoke. He knew he had him. The trial ends and the jury find her guilty. Now he was the one gloating.

After the trial, Kinsley offered to buy Rafael a drink. He was hesitant but reluctantly said " _yes_ " for whatever reason. Free drinks paid by someone he just defeated? _Yes, please_.  He heads out to the bar, orders a couple drinks with the lawyer, and that's when he can't remember.

That’s when it dawned on him. Rafael slept with the enemy. Damn you Havana Locos and Papaya rum cocktails. Those two drinks always made him do some questionable things but at least it got him laid. He honestly needed it. And he won a case. Can't get any better than that. He steps out of the shower, wipes the mist off the mirror and for a quick moment his normally green eyes looked red. What? He shakes his head and looks at his reflection. Normal. Must be a slight hangover hallucination or possibly, he was still tired or both. Then there was a slight bitter metal taste in his mouth, which tasted awfully like blood. Must have bitten his cheek, he concluded.


	2. Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so the transformation begins

 

During his lunch break, he felt a terrible pain in his stomach, almost like a terrible bout of food poisoning. How inconvenient. He had a meeting with a judge right after and he knew if he cancelled they would be thoroughly annoyed. He reached into his desk for a couple of antacids. He hoped to God they would do the trick, while rubbing the side of his stomach in hopes to calm it down. Ay.

Carmen, his secretary, walks in, " _Mr. Barba, don't forget your meeting at 1:30 with Judge Kurtz_."

" _I know_."

She dropped off a few files on his desk before noticing him wincing, " _Are you ok?_ "

" _I'm fine. Just some indigestion. Thanks_ ," he waves her off.

She gives him that look of "yeah ok" but simply smiles and walks out of his room.

It was already 1:10 and the antacids clearly weren't working, but he couldn't call it off. Might as well tough it out, biting his lip in an attempt to focus on that pain instead.

 

* * *

 

He somehow made the meeting and fought off the pain, but he couldn't last all day. He decided to take a half day off. Not a big deal, even if he had to reschedule a couple of arraignment court proceedings.

Rafael enters his apartment and proceeds to the couch. He didn't even bother taking off his suit or his overcoat or his shoes. He just laid there, clutching a pillow against his stomach. He wished he could throw up and get it over with. Must have been that left over chicken salad sandwich doing this to him. He walks to the bathroom, clutching his middle. Before he heads to the toilet, he notices the mark in the mirror. It was gone. How? He's had bruises like that and they all took a few days to heal, but this was less than two days. Weird. He touches his own neck before the pain in his stomach returns. He gets to the toilet and gets into position. " _Come on, come on, just get it out_ ," he tried to motivate himself. " _You'll feel better_." Nothing. He was completely annoyed. He stands up, goes to the kitchen, grabs a pan just in case, and heads to his bedroom. Suddenly, he felt like he was on fire.

“What kind of food poisoning is this?” he wonders as he strips off all his clothes except for his underwear and lays on the bed, with the AC on the coldest temperature possible, blowing directly on him. In the middle of winter. He still felt like he was melting. There was a terrible pain in his mouth. " _AY!_ _CARAY!_ " He moans out as his canines grew, unbeknownst to him.  His tongue scrapes alongside of his teeth. " _What the hell?!_ " He felt the presence of fangs. Fangs? FANGS! Was he high? Or in a coma? What kind of dream was this? He remembers the note. _Enjoy your vampirism._ This went against every logical bone in his body. How was this happening?

Paranoia sets in when Rafael saw the window open. " _I'm gonna fry!_ " He's seen _Interview with the Vampire_. He saw what happens to vampires in that film when they are exposed to sunlight.  He throws a pillow at the shades to get them down and they eventually come down. Success!  He remembers he's wearing his grandmother's cross. Shouldn't it be burning him? Despite it not, he took it off, " _Lo siento. Perdóneme, Abuelita_."

Rafael had to see if these changes were real.  As walks into the bathroom, a thought crossed his mind, " _Wait a minute. Vampires can't see their reflection_." He was about to leave when he peers up and sees his own reflection looking back at him. Another myth busted? He couldn't believe how pale he looked. And his eyes. They were so red, to the point they were glowing. He touches his face, hands trembling a bit as he opens his mouth. He really had a pair of fangs. He touched them, accidentally pricking his finger. Damn. He sucks on it for a second. He noted how good his own blood tasted. " _Gross! Don't think that!_ "

His sudden fever dies down, he was now angry as he puts on a pair of sweats and regular t-shirt. _That son of a bitch James Kinsley made him a vampire_. And yet he was called an asshole for winning a case. Another thought comes to him: If Kinsley was a vampire how was he out in the daylight? Why didn't he burn to a crisp? He goes to his bedroom, throws open the curtains, and closes his eyes. He wasn't burning, not even one tiny flame. He opens his eyes.  Sunlight was on his arms and hands. Nothing. What was going on? Was he special? Was it a fluke? He had to figure that out.

Now to do the other thing he was good at: research. He pulled out his laptop and feverishly searched for sites on this. Surprisingly, there were many, but he had to do really obscure search terms to find them and to find legitimate sites about this. He managed to find a WebMD type site that could tell you what breed of vampire you were. Symptoms? Pointy teeth obviously. Only one set. Bright red eyes. Not allergic to the sun or crosses. Pale skin. That's all he could tell at this point. One result pop up. _Upyr._ What’s that? Another search pulls up field manual from _HEADQUARTERS - DEPARTMENT OF SUPERNATURAL AFFAIRS._ What? That’s real? Then again, he thought vampires were fake too and this looked really legitimate. He clicks on Upyrs.

 

> Upyr
> 
>        1.  Russian  
>         2.   **EC** –  Nor, Gr, BG, BB  ; **Act** –Any (esp noon to midnight); **Fo** – AnyB (esp Ch); **Sp** – F - VF; **SC** – II - III; **LS** – L - EL;  
>  **KtK** – Al; **Fe** – SW – BA
> 
>        3.  Incredibly bloodthirsty vampires  
>                      i.      Preys first on children, and then on their parents.  
>         3.  Likes to devour their hearts  
>         4.  Looks like an ordinary citizen  
>         5.  Iron like teeth  
>                      i.      Will gnaw on anything that’s in their way  
>                      ii.     If buried will use its teeth to chew itself out of its grave  
>         6.  Sunlight doesn’t harm this vampire  
>         7.  Methods of destroying  
>                      i.      Tracking  
>                                  a.  Hook thread to one of the Upyr’s buttons so that it can be tracked back to its lair.  
>                                  b.  Once discovered, the creature should be drenched in holy water and then staked in the heart.  
>                                  c.  Only strike it once, for stabbing it twice will bring it back to life and it will be more fearsome than before.   
>                      ii.      Burning  
>                      iii.     Decapitation  
>                      iv.     Stake in heart 

  
“ _Incredibly_ _bloodthirsty vampires_ _? Eats children?!_ ” Yet he didn't have any urge to rip people's throats out and bathe in their blood. Maybe it would happen over time. That's no good, especially being a prosecutor. He put folks like that in jail, now there was a possibility of him being something so heinous. Jesus. He was floored for a moment till he hits another entry:

 

> Upyr – Lesser
> 
>         1.  Russian  
>          2.   **EC** –  Nor - R ; **Act** –Any; **Fo** –  Ad, HF ; **Sp** – Nor, rarely F ; **SC** – II - III ; **LS** – AbN - L; **KtK** – Ra - Ne; **Fe** – M  
>          3.  Need to feed every full moon  
>                         i.      Have to within 48 hours of that particular moon phase or else they wither and die  
>          4.  How they are like Upyrs  
>                         i.      Looks like an ordinary citizen  
>                         ii.     Sunlight does not harm them  
>                         iii.    Very strong  
>          5.  How they are not like Upyrs  
>                          i.      Lack aggression  
>                          ii.     Will not attack children  
>                          iii.    Teeth are not iron – but very strong  
>                          iv.    Not very fast  
>          6.  Origins  
>                          i.      Most experts agree they were a result of  Dhamphir and Upyr crossbreeding

 

" _Lesser Upyr_ ," he repeats to himself. This one made more sense. Red eyes and according to a widget he had there was a full moon out. “ _48 hours of that particular moon phase or else they wither and die_ ” stood out. He really had to drink blood. How does one go about doing that without seeming like a creep? Or weird? Or crazy? And blood? _Disgusting_. He felt sick thinking about it. He grabbed a bottle of bourbon and prepared himself for more research. Tonight was going to be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> Ay! Caray! - Damn!  
> Lo siento. Perdóneme, Abuelita - I'm sorry. Forgive me, grandma
> 
> ==========================================================  
> KEY:  
> 1\. Eye Color (EC) –  
> a. Nor (Normal), R (Red), O (Orange), G (Gold), Y (Yellow), DG (Dark Green), LG (Light Green), BG (Bright Green), Bl (Blue), LB (Light Blue), BB (Bright Blue), Ma (Magenta), La (Lavender), Vi (Violet), BV (Bright Violet), All  
> 2\. Activity (Act) –  
> a. Diu (Diurnal), Noc (Nocturnal), Mat (Matutinal), Ves, (Vespertine), Cre (Crepuscular), Any (Anytime)  
> 3\. Food (Fo) –  
> a. Ani (Animals), Ad (Adults), Ch (Children), Ba (Babies), HF (Human food)  
> 4\. Speed (Sp) –  
> a. VF (VF: over 20 mph), F (Fast: 15 – 20 mph), Nor (Normal)  
> 5\. Strength Compared to Humans (SC)  
> a. I – Normal, II ( 1.5 – 3 xs), III (3x – 5x), IV (5 – 10x), V (> 10 x)  
> 6\. Life span(LS) –  
> a. Im (Immortal), EL (Extremely Long – ages 15 – 20 times slower than human LS), Very Long (VL – ages 10 – 15 times slower), L (Long – ages 5 – 10 times slower), AbN (Above Normal – ages 1.5 – 5 times slower), Nor (Normal)  
> 7\. Known to Kill (KtK) –  
> a. Al (Always), Us (Usually), So (Sometimes), Ra (Rarely), Ne (Never)  
> 8\. Feed (Fe)  
> a. ED (Every day), SW (Semiweekly), W (Weekly), BW (Bi-Weekly), M (Monthly), BA (Bi-Annual), A (Annual)


	3. First Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter to the Origins story!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly can’t believe I have to write this- if you’re going to critique my work:  
> 1\. Don’t write a book (in fact, please, use points like 1. 2. 3. Etc. It makes it easier for me to understand and to read)  
> 2\. Use layman’s terms. I’m not a professional writer  
> 3\. Keep in mind, I do not have an editor or a beta reader ATM. I try really hard to use programs to spot mistakes. I’m only human. If you do spot errors PLEASE tell me and I will correct them  
> 4\. That being said: Please don’t be mean and tactless about it  
> 5\. This is an AU story  
> 6\. If you don’t like any of my stories and you have nothing but awful to things to say about it: move on. Not gonna hurt my feelings if you skip my stuff because it’s not your style. Thanks!

Go and figure Rafael passed out in the middle of research. And of course, he was lying in the middle of his own drool. _How undignified_. He realised at that moment he had less than 24 hours to live if he didn’t get some sort of fresh blood inside him. He sits up and because he was in such an odd position, his neck was sore as all hell. _Ouch._ Too bad vampirism didn’t cure that. He stretches a bit and goes to the bathroom to clean himself up and to shower. Looking into the mirror as Rafael does his hair, his eyes looked redder than yesterday and he looked even paler.  “ _The hell? I didn't vacation in Florida this summer for this?_ ” He was so annoyed by these changes. He hoped that this blood drinking _thing_ would make him look normal again.

Conveniently, it was Saturday, which meant it was his day off, but he had to figure out how to waste the whole day. There was no way he was going to feed on someone during the day. Too risky and he didn’t want to go to jail for assault. At least, he lived in NYC, so there has to be _something_ he could do. He decided to tour a couple of art museums. Before he would do that, he had to find a decent pair of sunglasses. No way he could get away with having red eyes or fangs and _being him_. He wasn’t one of those weird Goth kids he’s occasionally seen on his walks. He laughs at the thought – now he was the weird one. Rafael finally finds a decent pair of shades and he heads out the door. 

* * *

 Rafael managed to waste the day perfectly by spending it at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He did receive a couple weird looks from people for wearing sunglasses indoors. He would notice, reply with “eye condition”, and they would nod as if they understood. He wasn’t too far from the truth, so it wasn’t like he was majorly lying.  Night time settles in and it was time for him to make his first hunt.

Rafael read pages on pages on how to do so, where to bite, and everything else related to the subject. Then there were pages with dedicated threads like “And This Is Why I Prefer to Steal from Blood Banks” and “ _This is Why I’m so Glad I Have a Donor_ ”. He didn’t have time for that sort of thing, nor did he have a donor offered to him. Plus, how would he go about that? “ _Hey, so I’m a vampire. Would you like to share your blood with me?_ ” He knew it sounded crazy. _No way_.  Hunting was his only option. Many thoughts raced through his head. “ _How do you actually do this? How do I spot prey? Why did that son of a bitch make my life more complicated than it already is?_ ” He reminds himself to focus.

When Rafael leaves the museum, the outside seemed a little louder, colours seemed sharper, and scents were stronger. Was he in the middle of another change? It felt like it. When he walked close to people he swore he could hear their heartbeat.  _Lub dub. Lub dub._ It was faint, but he really was hearing it. Every bare neck made him drool. “ _Stop that_ ,” he told himself. He could feel his vampire side start to take over, however, he couldn't do it here. Too crowded, too many witnesses. He decided to hit the part of the city with the more obscure clubs. It was Saturday night, there had to be _someone_ out there. Rafael figured the way he looked he could fit in with the odd crowds that frequented those clubs. 

It took a few minutes to get to where he wanted. Too bad Rafael couldn't transform into a bat or bird or anything with speed and gotten there quicker. This lesser Upyr business didn’t afford him that luxury. The clock was ticking and he could feel it. Who would his first meal be? He thought it would be smart to choose a loner. He enters into a raver club and begins to scan the place around. The music and his enhanced hearing made it difficult to concentrate. It didn't help that he got hit on by a couple of people.   
  
This question " _Nice contacts/fangs, dude. Where'd you get them?"_ and variations of it were repeated a lot to him. 

How Rafael wanted to say " _some prick gave them to me_ ", but instead opted for the more polite " _no clue, got ‘em as a gift_." He had no time for conversations with drunken fools.  He pushes past people with ease, searching for the perfect one. He did notice there were a couple of others with fangs. What if he drank from one of them? What if one of them was a real vampire? Their blood was no good. Dammit. That was the one thing he forgot to read: how to tell if others are vampires. He rolls his eyes. _Great_.  He walks towards them at the bar. 

A red headed girl notices him first, "What's an old man such as yourself doing in a place like this?" 

"Having a good time," he orders a rum and coke. 

"Alyssa, I think he's kinda cute." a brunette says. Rafael smiles at that compliment as he sips his drink. 

"Ooh, he has fangs, Sam," Alyssa muses to her friends and they all look at him. He had to keep his cool as they look closer at him. 

Sam laughs, “He even has red contacts. How professional." That statement confirmed they weren’t vampires. _Perfect._  

A guy friend who was with them smirks, “Why don't you make out with him already?” 

“Shut up, Jay. Maybe I will,” she shrugs, “but seriously those are really well made. You have to tell me where you got those.” 

“A gift,” he only says, while his mind shouted, ”A gift from that prick Kinsley”. Sam kept touching his arm, flirting with him, and almost kissed him a few times, but her friend, Alyssa, kept dragging her away to discuss some other business.  Perhaps he was imagining it, but his fangs felt sharper and longer than before. He was about to ask her to be alone with him when the group decided to leave. _Well, isn’t that just peachy?_ He had to start from zero again. The movies made this look so easy. He orders another rum and coke and sits at the bar, preparing another strategy. Another person sits by him, a woman, which he guesses had to be in her 30s. 

“Watching these freaks too?” 

He almost spits out his drink from laughing, “You could say.” 

“Same here,” she smiles. “I view these places as my personal zoo. Watch all the weirdos make a fool of themselves so they can get laid.” 

_Who was this?_ How he wished he had a recorder for her commentary. For a moment, she made him forget that he was a vampire. 

“The name’s Caroline, but you can call me Linn,” she smiles. 

“Nice to meet you. I’m …” Rafael didn’t want to use his real name, “Roberto.” 

She too notices his eyes and his teeth, “Ha, are you part of the zoo too?” 

“You could say I’m in disguise. Don’t want to give it away,” he smiles. 

“That’s pretty clever,” Linn laughs. That was when he decided she would be his first meal. Honestly, he felt bad that she would be, but he had to feed soon. 

After a little while of sharing drinks and trading stories, she leads him to the dance floor. He was so in the moment of everything, coupled with the changes happening within him, that he makes out with her.  He wasn’t even tipsy, but she clearly was. The music and everyone’s heartbeat made him feel a little overwhelmed. He had to try to get her away from this crowded space. He looks her in the eyes and nods his head towards a doorway that leads to an alleyway. 

Linn seemed to comply almost too easily. Rafael honestly had no clue what he was doing, but all he kept thinking about was blood. He picks the most secluded part and they make out for a little bit. He began to notice whenever he thought of something, like “ _kiss me_ ” or “ _move over there_ ”, and he looked in her eyes, she would comply. It was very cliché, but he wanted to see if she would fall asleep. After they make out again, he decided to test this theory. He embraces her, looks into her eyes, and soon she passes out. The sound of her heart seemed louder than before as Rafael leans down, pressing his teeth on her neck. _Three. Two. One._ He bites her neck and feels her skin give way. He felt extremely weird thinking how satisfying it was to feel it pop. Then there was this sudden rush of blood, how it filled his mouth, and how delicious it was. _Delicious_ and _blood_ , he thought, should never be in the same sentence together ever, but here he was, thoroughly enjoying it. With every sip, he felt more energetic, more alive. He drinks for a couple seconds more before he decides to stop. He didn’t want to kill her. That wasn’t the point or why he was here. 

Here was the second part of the puzzle: how to deal with someone he just drank? Rafael didn’t want to leave her out there, defenceless. He thinks for a moment and decides to bring her back inside. He remembered there was a booth area beside the dance floor that was pretty much unoccupied, save for a couple of bouncers. Through some sort of miracle, he manages to get her inside without looking suspicious, sits her down, and slumped over the table in a way that made her look like she had a few too many. A little undignified, but this was better than being out in an alleyway.  On his way out, Rafael mentions her current state to a bodyguard and he tells him they’ll look after her. Now he could leave for home. 

Rafael catches a cab and goes to his apartment. He steps into his living room, kicks off his shoes, and lies on his couch. He couldn’t believe that he actually drank blood and that he _enjoyed it_. This whole vampire thing was still new to him and it did throw him for a loop. Truth be told, he didn’t mind. Somehow, someway, he was going to make it work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit goes to Julian for the “The hell? I didn't vacation in Florida this summer for this?” line! (I thought it was funny and wanted in there)


End file.
